The Journal of Geometric Mechanics | 2021
From Schouten to Mackenzie: Notes on brackets
Abstract
In this paper, dedicated to the memory of Kirill Mackenzie, I relate the origins and early development of the theory of graded Lie brackets, first in the publications on differential geometry of Schouten, Nijenhuis, and Frolicher–Nijenhuis, then in the work of Gerstenhaber and Nijenhuis–Richardson in cohomology theory.